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Sandro Vannini / National Geographic
This "shabti," or funerary servant figure, is from the antechamber of Tutankhamun's tomb. Shabtis were inscribed with a spell from the Book of the Dead that ensured the king would do no forced labor in the afterlife. The figure is part of the "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs," an exhibit that is winding up its U.S. tour in Seattle.
Two major exhibits of ancient artifacts relating to the best-known figures from ancient Egypt, King Tut and Cleopatra, are in the last stages of their U.S. tours — and their departure could signal the end of an era.
"Cleopatra: The Exhibition" opened at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, while "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" began its run at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle today. By the end of next year, the more than 250 artifacts from the two exhibitions will be back in Egypt, possibly for good.
The return to Egypt marks the end of a Tut-centric "Comeback Tour" that began back in 2005 and sparked the kind of enthusiasm that was seen back in the 1970s, during an earlier Tut exhibit. Like that 1976-1979 "Treasures of Tutankhamun" show, millions have turned out to see the glittering gold and the 3,300-year-old artifacts associated with the boy-king's short reign. More than 90,000 advance tickets already have been sold for this year's Seattle exhibit.
Transplanting Tut-mania
Among the featured objects in Seattle are a 10-foot-tall statue of the pharaoh, Tut's golden sandals and the golden funerary mask of King Psusennes I. (Tut's golden mask, which was such a hit since the '70s, was judged too fragile and valuable to travel out of Egypt this time around.)
After Seattle, the more than 100 artifacts will go to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is currently under construction and due for completion in 2015. At one time, Egyptian officials saw the revenue generated by traveling exhibits as a means to cover the museum construction costs. But last year's revolution dealt a heavy blow to the country's tourist industry, and now officials think it's more important to bring museumgoers to the treasures in Egypt than to bring the treasures to museumgoers outside Egypt.
View highlights of the treasures on view in "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs."
"They're eager to see these [artifacts] return to Egypt," said Bryan Harris, vice president of sales and marketing for Arts and Exhibitions International, which helped organize the Tut tour. And they're eager for tourists to follow Tut's trail.
That came through loud and clear during a Seattle news conference on Wednesday. "Please, we need your help," Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said. "We need you to support our revolution. We need you to support our movement toward peace and democracy."
Cleopatra's sunken treasures
The stars of the Tut exhibit are artifacts that were found 90 years ago in a long-hidden tomb by British archaeologist Howard Carter, but it's a different story for the more than 150 "Cleopatra" artifacts now on display in Los Angeles. They were brought to the surface just in the past few years during underwater excavations at the sunken sites of Alexandria, Heracleion and Canopus.
"All those artifacts were completely covered by sediment," French archaeologist Franck Goddio, leader of the underwater excavation, told me.
Christoph Gerigk / AP
Divers explore the submerged ruins of a palace and temple in Alexandria's harbor.
Video previews "Cleopatra: The Exhibition."
The project made a splash, so to speak, when the "Cleopatra" tour was first announced a couple of years ago, and since then it's been on display in Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Milwaukee. One more U.S. city, yet to be determined, could join the list after Los Angeles. But by the end of 2013, the statues, jewelry, coins and other items will be distributed among several Egyptian museums, Goddio said. Egyptian authorities are considering the construction of an underwater museum in Alexandria Harbor, and if that project goes forward, "all the artifacts will go in that museum," he said.
Goddio said the artifacts recovered so far suggest that Hellenistic Egypt, the culture in which Cleopatra lived during the first century B.C., was less Greek and much more Egyptian than experts previously thought. "The Egyptian sensitivity is much stronger than what it was thought to be at that time," he said. And that's all the more reason for present-day Egyptian officials to want those treasures back in their home country.
Fortunately, Goddio and others have been able to continue their work amid all of Egypt's political changes, including the run-up to this week's presidential elections there.
"Up to now, the authority has not changed," he told me, "and it's not expected that there will be any change from a scientific view." So even though the long-traveling treasures may be going home for good, there might be fresh archaeological finds available for future road trips.
And after all, Egypt isn't the only place that offers archaeological wonders. Just this month, for example, Penn Museum opened a "Maya 2012" exhibit featuring sculptures and replicas of monuments from the Maya civilization.
Harris acknowledges that Egypt doesn't hold a monopoly on ancient mysteries and marvels. Nevertheless, he says there's something special about old King Tut. "An exhibit like 'Tutankhamun' is really like lightning in a bottle," he told me. "For some reason, Egyptian culture, and particularly Tutankhamun, seems to captivate the imagination more than any other. ... To be honest, there's only one."
More about Egyptian treasures:
- 'King Tut' makes last stop in Seattle
- Spots on Tut's tomb suggest hasty burial
- Slideshow: King Tut's treasures in context
- Mummies and statues point to Cleopatra's tomb
- Video: Book paints Cleopatra as 'shrewd' and 'brutal'
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Nice article Alan ....
It's such an amazing history that the Egyptians have ....
Their artisans were really hard workers , to have left so many long lasting artifacts ....
Tut can thank Steve Martin for the fame.
Yes, this tour did not spawn any hits:
King Tut (King Tut)
Now when he was a young man
He never thought he'd see (King Tut)
People stand in line
To see the boy king (King Tut)
How'd you get so funky (Funky Tut)
Did you do the monkey
(Born in Arizona)
(Moved to Babylonia, King Tut)
(King Tut) Now, if I'd known
They'd line up just to see him (Funky Tut)
I'd trade in all my money
And bought me a museum (King Tut)
Buried with a donkey (funky Tut)
He's my favorite honkey
(Born in Arizona)
(Moved to Babylonia, king Tut)
Dancin' by the Nile (disco Tut)
The ladies love his style (boss Tut)
Rockin' for a mile (rockin' Tut)
He ate a crocodile
From Pharaoh to Mohammed. What a difference.
too bad i couldn't bring all that loot to the CA$H 4 GOLD pawn shop :P
went to denver years years ago with kids, was joke, all reproductions and way overpriced
The Egyptian Royal Family had an amazing lifestyle and uh..strange lineage to say the least. Yes, it was the norm and I understand how they wanted to keep it all in the family but that was probably the very thing that brought them down. Poor King Tut had a tremendous amount of health problems because of it. His unborn babies were found in his tomb. How very sad.
The only thing I'm really interested in after all these yrs. is for archaeologists to find Cleopatra's tomb. Dr. Z is an old fashioned showman, IMO but I hope he does the right thing by Cleopatra and won't try to make as much money off her tomb as he possibly can. I have my doubts though.
I'm looking forward to learning more about the Mayas and their artifacts. There's probably so much more to be found. It's too bad that a tour isn't planned for their artifacts.
Hopefully after Dec. 21 has come and gone, people will get off the Mayan doomsday calendar kick. How ridiculous and yet disturbing.
Hi Ben. :-)
Hey Darrah ....
I'm watching the live feed on Alan's newest article ....
Showing the Space X Cargo docking to the International Space Station ....
It's really great ....
More history in the making ....
: )
Those that know the ancient secrets...know that the light will open the vortex...travel in peace.
Hate to see them leave the US, but can't wait to travel to the Middle East to see these artifacts. It's a catchy marketing slogan, "Lose your head over King Tut!"
Only humans would do this...bury the dead then put them in museums after a few hundred years.
Great point. Most of us want to see and know it all but there's something freaky and disturbing about old fashioned grave robbing--especially when the Egyptian Royal Family went to such lengths to conceal their sacred tombs. And the way so called archaeologists went about it in the late 1800s and early 1900s was atrocious.
Anybody remember when Gerlado Rivera and Dr. Z opened a tomb on live TV? DR Z already knew that it couldn't be done that way. You just don't go and open a tomb in a matter of a few min. without having disastrous effects on the tomb and mummy. They probably did it in advance and then pretended it had never been opened. Or Dr. Z stooped to the same level as Rivera at that point. From what I remember though, there was nothing in there. I'll have to find the video.
What a disgrace and things like that are the very reasons I disdain Dr. Z.
I found this article so it must have been someone other than Geraldo Rivera (which I can't imagine anyone lower than him.) uh hem...
http://www.williamtolan.com/fno/EGYPT/story9_new.htm
Why does King Tut's image look like Michael Jackson? It's uncanny....Lol
Egypt can say goodbye to the tourist traffic - when the Muslim fanatics are in charge of the Government. They will certainly be expecting Western Women to be covering their entire bodies and the men to be wearing beards.
Back in the 80's, I saw a collection of these treasures on exhibit and it was awe inspiring. The manner in which the lighting displayed the items made it feel somewhat eerie, yet wonderful. Gorgeous!
Good riddance to the showy garbage.
@drew; RIGHT ON !!!! This crap will be back! Its a scare tactic to bring people in now, when they need the almighty dollar again the`ll ship it right back here and claim its the last time ever!!! wouldn`t go see it if it was free to get in!!
Sorry to have missed the exhibit. When I was quite young, a pre-teen, my mother took me and my older sister to see this exhibit on a similar tour. Unfortunately, I was too young to fully appreciate it.
Saw the Tut Exhibit in Los Angeles in 1976 (77?). Glad to have had the opportunity. However, I would not go to Egypt to the those artifacts if Tut himself was reanimated.
The Egyptians along with the Mayans arw two of the most influential cultures in Earths past that brought about some of the greatest engineering feats that carry over into modern day humanity.
Influential yes... sad that they can't progress past the hatred, violence and infighting that is sending them back to the stone age......but they WILL take our money to see a bunch of reproductions.... that disappointed me at this show.
The Egyptians own the stuff and can do with it what they want. As Egypt is ran now, some cold, independent marketing research should prove the stream of tourists is going to become miniscule and consist of mostly people in the area. These objects of art, really owned by mankind, have been producing money for Egypt for years. Who would risk a visit wrapped in wariness to see them in country? What American or especially American not of Islam would be caught dead in a country that now purports to want Americans and especially American infidels dead?
They all know where the money comes from and will make sure the tourist trade continues. It is true that tourists felt safer under the Mubarak police state, but they will come back.
With the Muslim Brotherhood taking over government (the very thing we were promised that with our dollars and support would not happen) I would not dare to adventure over there where a actor gets jail time for a movie he did years ago and tension sure to rise with these idiots that this administration supported. I think the Arab spring is going to turn to the Arab winter as fundamentalism takes root and freedom is stamped out and people are once again forced live under the oppression of another evil Muslim cleric dictatorship. Good by freedom and welcome another Iran. As long as these people are in power all foreign aid needs to be frozen until we can determine that our money is going towards our interest and not a radical Islamic interest.
I would love to go to Egypt but it's just not safe.
I am glad to see that grave robbing is still alive and well. The tombs were sealed for a reason in the first place. You can call it science, you can call it archeology as an euphemism but in the end it is still glorified grave robbing.
Too bad they're thinking with their butts instead of their PHD brains. They really think that people are going to just up and go to Egypt to see the displays and museums. Yes, people will spend the $40-60 to see an egyptian exhibition at a museum in NY, but they won't spend $1000+ to go see it. They are going to lose the millions of dollars that they get from all of these tours. Besides with the things going on there I wouldn't recommend anybody to go to Egypt. I would also recommend that the museums here in the US not return the artifacts due to the recent theft from the museums.
Tourists visit Egypt in vast numbers, and I would be more likely to do so if it were the only way to see these things. I'm not sure how an econmic analysis would come out, but the idea is reasonable.
I am glad to see that grave robbing is still alive and well. The tombs were sealed for a reason in the first place. You can call it science or archeology as an euphemism but in the end it is still glorified grave robbing.
they wont last long in egypt! goodbye tut !
It's not the same without the mask, but it is probably still worth seeing. The mask is probably the greatest work of art I have ever seen. It is stunning. But I understand why they want to keep it safe.
Having studied ancient civilizations all over the world, Egypt is by far my favorite.It's incredibly long history has always intrigued me compared to so many others which rose and fell. While its influence on world events also is profound.To be able to enjoy the beauty which it created while studying its unique view on life has actually had quite an impact on my own.I have had the opportunity to see some of these museum items. I am sure the people who created them had no idea they would end up on the other side of the world far into the future.I do know nothing I create will remain behind for someone to discover in a thousand years.With all we have to leave behind records, it makes such workmanship all the more stunning,coming from humble hands.We may have technology highly advanced, but with simple tools and natural materials, treasures have been created lasting over three thousand years.
I do hope care is taken, once all the items return to Egypt, so that no harm comes to them. With unrest in the Middle East I can see things getting uncomfortable for tourists visiting. Who might check out a book or go online to search for information on the treasures, instead of risking a trip to a place where some people openly threaten certain nationalities with death.Who knows, there might even come a time, when violence breaks out again, and these pieces now in the US become targets for profit.I know I would not feel comfortable going there at any point in the future.
Amazing artifacts and craftsmanship, but I don't see many people, especially Americans, running over to Egypt to check out these exhibits. "Risk your life to see a dead guy" just isn't an enticing slogan.
Plane ticket to Egypt : $ 2000
Hotel Accommodations: $500
Exhibit fee: $50
Leaving the country alive: PRICELESS
Talk about taking things for granted. I've had the opportunity to visit both of these exhibits, and never made the time.
Im going to have to agree with twister above,if the Islamist take over in Egypt ,which seems to be a sure bet Tut may be on his way out. They'll come up with some way that he is offensive to allah or the pediphile prophet and destroy it.
I was lucky enough to see the exhibit in Egypt in 1973 and go into the tombs and pyramids. It is more amazing in place than a traveling exhibit will ever be. At the moment it takes a brave soul to venture there as an American.
Ta ta, Tut.